Pan Am Southern / Patriot Corridor Discussion

Looks like the NS 264/265 re-route via CSX B&A line is getting closer to reality with these recent NS job postings. Excerpt:
"Employees hired under this announcement should initially expect to serve on train crews operating an approximately 190-mile run between Voorheesville, NY and Ayer, MA."

NS trackage rights over the remaining ~3 mile segment CP-45 to Barbers still have to be worked out as well one way or another to an agreement for STB filing, no matter whether or not the second track separating CSX and P&W operations is extended over the full length, and according to ownership.

Wondering out loud: According to the City of Worcester's Atlas of property ownership, the land underneath the P&W track between CP-45 and Barbers is owned by CSX entities as follows:

• CP-45 to School St: Springfield Terminal Rlwy

• School St to Millbrook St: Boston & Maine RR (adjacent plot 150 Millbrook St (B&M yard office site) is also B&M)

• Millbrook St to New Bond St: Springfield Terminal Rlwy (shown as double track)

Q: is it the case that P&W owns only the rail/ties/stone and leases the land from CSX from CP-45 to Barbers? If yes, if CSX were to construct its own parallel track, perhaps an NS trackage rights agreement via P&W wouldn't be needed? Rather, the B&M rights agreement between Barbers and Harvard would simply need to be extended to CP-45 to Harvard?

Link to City of Worcester Atlas: https://experience.arcgis.com/experienc ... e73114538d

In the absence of the original P&W purchase agreement late '80's with the subsequent renewal of a second track utilizing the right-of-way for ~1/3 of the distance, including under Lincoln Square, today's P&W control over all tracks along the entire length indicates to me a sale of infrastructure and/or change in rights to CSX would be necessary to then swap NS' trackage rights needed from P&W to instead needed from CSX either partially or in entirety along the ~3-mile length. The 2 CSX segments already agreed and filed with the STB appear to only confirm this.

Everyone is looking pretty far into this 3 mile component which has already been sorted prior to the sale... still plenty of work to be done on the WML for double stack clearance. No need to execute a predetermined agreement with P&W until all the work is completed. Remember, G&W is a benefactor to the PAR/CSX deal so they wouldn't be causing trouble.

I guess what I don't understand is the 150 mile rights agreement over CSX B&A line and the 27 mile rights B&M agreement have been executed and filed, as well as the Hill Yard rights agreement with PAS. The CSX agreements have risks like NS crew outlawing or derailing enroute. The PAS agreement involves yard switching.

But the NS - P&W agreement should involve 2 daily trains passing through on only 3 miles of track with little risk of crew outlaw, derailment, switching, etc. Presumably CSX already has such an agreement in place with P&W. Shouldn't the P&W agreement have been the easiest to negotiate?

Definitely a reasonable subject for deeper questioning, Mr. Barlow, because it is a critical, even if short, link not only for with who NS will execute the lagging remaining trackage rights agreement(s) needed and with start of the train rumored to begin before overhead clearance improvements are complete, but also as it relates to infrastructure improvements needed and rumored and for CSX Worcester and WML capacity as well.

While the case can certainly be made that GWI won't be "causing trouble" over what has been a source of trouble in the past as well with time still to execute trackage rights over this final segment, there's also reason to consider that there could also be negotiations yet in play among the parties, including around needed and rumored infrastructure improvements as well CSX rights and ownership.

It is entirely possible that the execution of the three of four agreements was as a result of the NS lawsuit against CSX, which seems to have either disappeared or is still playing out, as a means to show progress on the arrangement. Again, I don't have any real concerns that this will be a "deal breaker" as work is progressing as it should, albeit not as quickly as we all railfans would like

Here’s a photo of CSX parcel at 150 Millbrook St at Worcester taken Labor Day morning 9/2/24. Looks like a big pile of dirt has been brought in along with stacks of culvert pipes. Are these ingredients that might be used to construct a RR yard?

Whoever strung that triplex is a moron...

Looks like just some staged materials but who knows.

Looks like excavated dirt, boulders and asphalt along with a couple of road signs and the stormwater drainage pipe indicating that the project is already underway and visible wherever its location(s).

I think the pile of dirt with the covering is the material removed during the undercutting on the CSX Worcester Subdivision.
I would think they are going to use it at or near this location.

As of 9/6/24 (or maybe a few days ago), the NS engineer/conductor job openings for the Voorheesville-Ayer IM train operation over CSX B&A are no longer posted on the NS Careers site. Hopefully that means NS hired whatever # of personnel are needed (I'm guessing 3 engineers and 3 conductors for daily operations?).

As of 9/19/24, NS has re-posted the job openings for Train Conductor - Voorheesville and Locomotive Engineer - Voorheesville on its careers web site. I don't recall if this was the case when these positions were last posted a month or so back before disappearing in early September but this Train Conductor posting focuses on seeking Conductor Trainees while the Locomotive Engineer posting says NS seeks:

...a skilled Locomotive Engineer to operate locomotives safely and efficiently. The ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic, a focus on safety, and a passion for operating trains.

Interesting that NS specifies "a passion for operating trains."

Tie job working east out of Deerfield this week.